Hurricane Matthew Recovery Status Information

"Our top priority is to ensure that the needs of our residents and businesses are being addressed timely. It is also important for our residents to know what the City can and cannot assist them with. We hope that the next phase of our disaster relief plan will provide clarification and much needed resources to the people of Florence." Drew Griffin, Florence City Manager.

FLORENCE, SC – The City of Florence held a press conference at 9:00 AM this morning where City Manager, Drew Griffin, discussed the next steps being taken by the City for the clean-up efforts with #NextPhaseFlorence.

Clean Up Schedule: City Crews will begin cleaning Zones 1 and 6 on Monday, October 31st. (see map attached) The rest of the schedule over the next 8 weeks is outlined below.

It is important to note that our City crews are not equipped to be commercial debris collectors and will be contracting with a company for clean-up efforts of vegetative debris. The public bid for this contract will be issued tomorrow or Monday. (Hazardous trees and stumps will be bid separately as they must be accounted for differently in the FEMA regulations.) Contractors interested in bidding should contact Lynwood Givens at 843-665-3162.

The City hopes to have the clean-up process completed by late 2016/early 2017.

Debris collection will be based on cubic yards. The City is prepared to collect more than 150,000 cubic yards.

The City is issuing new safety recommendations for Halloween Trick-or-Treating due to the large amount of debris still located in right-of-ways throughout the City. The City strongly recommends Trick-or-Treating during daylight hours only. See the Florence Halloween Recommendations (PDF).

Josh Whittington, Field Debris Collection Manager, stated, “All of the debris collected by the City of Florence will be taken to our public works lot to be run through a tub grinder. We are extremely fortunate that the 20-year-old grinder was just replaced prior to Hurricane Matthew.”

Residents can apply for assistance by registering online with FEMA at https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4286 or by calling 1-800-621-3362. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing should call 1-800-462-7585 (TTY), and those who use Video Relay Service can call 1-800-621-3362. Toll free numbers are operating from 7am - 10pm seven days per week until further notice.

“It is important for residents and businesses to get debris separated and to the street as quickly as possible so that when the Contractor is selected in the next 2-3 weeks, they can begin work immediately. It is also critical that we all follow FEMA guidelines so that as a City, we can do our due diligence to keep costs down and get reimbursed for some of the cost of the destruction left behind from Hurricane Matthew.” stated Drew Griffin, Florence City Manager.

To stay up to date with all of the latest information regarding #NextPhaseFlorence, please visit this page on our website dedicated to the clean-up efforts. You can also follow the City of Florence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Specific questions regarding debris clean up can be emailed to NextPhaseFlorence@cityofflorence.com.

#NextPhaseFlorence: The Logistics

The core role of local government is to operate as a resource for its citizens. While there are many issues that have impacted our residences and our businesses during this natural disaster that we are unable to resolve, our goal is to provide a consistent flow of communication and a central hub for resources.
We will be posting a video update from Florence City Manager, Drew Griffin, with the latest updates every Wednesday morning at 10 AM. The update will be here and City social media platforms.

Hurricane Matthew had a major impact on our City. I am proud of our amazing city staff that has worked around the clock to help our citizens. This next phase will take our communication and our outpouring of information to the next level. In order for our citizens and businesses to rebuild, we must maintain the highest level of communication with the people in Florence.

Debris Clean Up

There is over 150,000 cubic yards of storm debris within the city limits. Hurricane related debris is eligible for pickup and disposal by the city if residents place the following types of debris on the public right-of-way in front of their property for pick-up. Residents opting for curbside pick-up must separate debris into six (6) categories:

Residents opting for curbside pick-up must separate debris into six (6) categories:

Vegetative debris (tree limbs, shrubs, etc.)

Construction/Demolition debris

White goods (appliances, etc.)

E-goods (TV’s, electronics)

Household hazardous (cleaning solutions, automotive chemicals, etc.)

Normal household garbage

Next Phase Florence Key Contacts

A team of city staff have been assembled just to address cleanup of storm debris associated with Hurricane Matthew. Here are the key contacts that we want to share with residents:

Federal Assistance

Residents can apply for assistance by registering online with FEMA at https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4286, or by calling 1-800-621-3362. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing should call 1-800-462-7585 (TTY), and those who use Video Relay Service can call 1-800-621-3362. Toll free numbers are operating from 7am - 10pm seven days per week until further notice.